Venerable
For the title given to ordained Buddhist monks, see Venerable (Buddhism).Venerable is a title confered on persons for a number of religious reasons, particularly in the
Christian churches.
In the
Eastern Orthodox Church,
venerable (
Greek: "Όσιος" for men and "Οσία" for women) is a title attributed to saints who had lived a
monastic or
eremitic life, and it is considered equal or sometimes superior to the usual "Saint".
In the
Anglican Communion,
venerable is the title given to an
Archdeacon.
In the
Roman Catholic Church,
venerable is the title of a person who has been posthumously declared "heroic in virtue" during the investigation and process leading to
canonization as a saint. Before one is considered
Venerable, he or she must be declared a by a proclamation approved by the pope of having lived lives that were "heroic in virtue" -- the virtues being the Theological Virtues of faith, hope and charity and the Cardinal Virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. The next step is
beatification, at which point the person is referred to as
Blessed, and then finally
canonization, at which point the person is referred to as
Saint.
